CHAPTER 16: A Clash of Blades and Lies - Part 1
The city guards stood vigilant at the northern gate of Renfru. Ryse had not anticipated that on the day he set foot in Renfru, the city would be closed due to a conference between King Ordofel and envoys from Arvane.
He needed to head east to stop his mentor. Time was running out. However, sneaking out or forcing his way would only lead to more trouble.
Ryse held mid-rank membership of the Adventurer Guild, Merchant Guild, and Monster Hunter Guild – the three main Guilds. These should have allowed Ryse to leave, but using them would enable his mentor to track him, compromising the plan to ambush him before his mentor could unleash calamity.
As the day turned to evening and group of ravens returned to their nests, Ryse went to a tavern to drink, hear the latest gossip, and seek information on leaving the city.
“Do you have any idea who's the Arvane representative?” a man said. He and his two companions were seated a few tables away from Ryse. With enhanced hearing, he could hear even the mice gossiping.
“Some flabby old fart?” the second person asked.
“Revionne Ilvamar! The Crown Princess of Arvane!”
“That's nonsense. Where'd you pick that up from?”
“While dropping off some salt to the palace kitchen, I happened to catch a glimpse of her. Her gray-blue hair and eyes. And let me tell you, her beauty is impossible to ignore.”
Ryse sipped his pewter cup of apricot mead. Five people with Adventurer Guild emblems in the corner seemed to be having a more interesting conversation. He would eavesdrop on them.
Someone tapped his shoulder. Turning, he saw four city guards in light armor encircling his table.
“Well, well, taking it easy here, are we? Nothing better than a glass of apricot mead after raping a wild boar, right, Mister Boar Rapist?”
“You tell me. You seem experienced.”
“Your joke’s as bad as your taste in partner.” The man who tapped his shoulder sat across him. “You raped a wild boar in the king's forest. That's a crime.”
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“You’ve got the wrong guy. I just got here this afternoon. Ask the harbormaster if you don't believe me.”
A guard lifted the edge of Ryse's jacket with a short stick, revealing his whip, Tempest, at the waist.
“We're not wrong about this,” the guard in front of him said. “Someone specifically mentioned the rapist carried a golden whip. Aren't you concerned about the boar? We have the perfect place for you to ponder over your deeds.”
Ryse realized he was being framed. He did not even know which was the crime, raping the boar, doing it in the king's forest, or both. He placed three bronze coins on the table to pay for his drink and complied as the four guards escorted him.
Shaking off the tail of four regulars would not be difficult. However, causing a commotion at this time was unwise. Moreover, any infraction involving the use of Prana or Mana within the city would face severe penalties.
The cliffs bordering the west and east of Renfru were not parallel but tapered towards the north. They formed a long corridor before diverging again into an open area where the prison, soldier barracks, and Renfru palace were located. He imagined the city and palace layout of Renfru resembling a long-necked hourglass.
He could do nothing when they confiscated his belongings, including Tempest, and put him in a cell.
“Sigh...” The woman at the docks. She must have set him up. Now he was certain he had not misrecognized her.
Ryse exhaled again. The jailer treated him, a Thief Master, as a common street thief. It was an insult, though also a stroke of luck. A thief would not complain about an unlocked treasure chest.
They had only placed ordinary shackles on him, not bracelet to restrain Prana and Mana. He shifted his thumb joint and the shackles slipped off.
The cell was one level below ground. Moonlight streamed through the barred window in the ceiling. Had the guards inspected him more, they would have noticed that his shoelaces were serrated wire.
He removed the wire and sawed through the iron bars. In no time, a way out was open without even tickling the Sense Field.
The night air of late autumn welcomed him with icy caress as he emerged to the surface. After retying the wire, he surveyed his surroundings. The moon was waning, making the dew on the prison walls glisten.
Laughter and shadows of the guards came from the main intersections. Beyond the main roads, many areas were untouched by light, and patrols were infrequent. They were more vigilant against external threats than internal, that only made challenges that were once easy become dull for him.
Ryse's shoes made soft taps on the stone floor, quieter than a guard slapping a mosquito on his arm. To them, his presence was just a breeze or a flicker of torch smoke in the darkest corners, gentler than another guard's sighs of complaint. And before one finished grumbling to another, he had already escaped from the prison block.
Prana vision allowed him to see beyond regulars during a full moon. His current position was near the prison block on the west side. To the east lay the barracks block, while the gleaming north side was Renfru Palace.
Earlier, the jailer had instructed someone to take Tempest to the palace treasury. It indeed belonged there. He followed the shadows along the cliff contours northward. The palace silhouette, with its towers, was pierced by the bright squares of window lights.
